BEACON COACHING

Hi Everyone. Hope this finds you well. I felt like putting something together for mid-week as we are in-between the holidays. All is well here in Plymouth just feeling a bit tired. Still playing catch-up with some people for holiday visits as we fit it all in schedules. Do you find it difficult to determine how to split your time between everyone you want to visit with at this time of year? I am just playing with one or two days at a time to take the pressure off of me and my expectations.

Christmas went very well. Dinner turned out well with a decent amount of leftovers. It was nice to have the family gathered together even if only for a couple of hours. I have to admit mema was a little bit out of it and did not eat well. I think she was a bit overwhelmed and tired. She was not interested in gifts or much of anything. Papa did notice as he commented on the way home. He knows she is becoming less involved.

I did something this year that I do not believe I have ever done before. I gave the post person (or as I call him Peter the elf) a gift card. Don't get me wrong I usually tip extra this time of year and do little exra things for people, but never the post person. My mom gave the post person a gift most years and I never understood it as I always said, they get paid fairly well and have good benefits. Why are you giving him/her a gift for doing their job? She used to joke with me that it was just something she always did and they make sure any packages I sent are delivered to the door. Well I must say in the past almost year that I have been here I am such a fan of Peter. The mail boxes here are in a group at the end of the street, but if a package is delivered he brings it to the door and leaves it inside the porch if you are not home. He also brings the mail with the package so you don't have to make an extra trip. I can always tell when he's not on duty as only the package is left on the steps and no other mail. I have also seen Peter check on the elderly people in the neighborhood to make sure they are ok. He is also personable and chats with Lady when we walk by. I truly believe he goes the extra mile. Since I receive a care package almost every week I decided he earned the gift card. I had to laugh because papa went through the mail the other day and there was a card for me from Peter. Papa laughinly said: You got a card from the mail man? I said yes, it's a thank you.

Do you ever look at something and think of a better way to do it? A better way to run an organization? I know sometimes I do. I try to control the impulse to jump into the middle. I bring this up because I was very disappointed over the weekend at the nursing home as there were major staffing issues. I think two aides for almost thirty five people is a major problem and a safety issue (several staff people that were scheduled decided to call off). Mandating an aide to stay, who is already exhausted and stressed, to me is a safety issue as well as other things. I was frustrated and wrote an email to the nursing home on Saturday night. I received a phone call from the Director of Nursing and boy was she angry. Her tone and wording alone had my blood pressure rising. I was surprised she spoke to a family member as she did, yet I so understood her frustration and determined that she needed to vent. I explained that I wrote the email as I wanted to ensure that the problem was documented appropriately.

Papa made me sad the other day and I truly did not know how to respond or what he wanted me to say. He can be generous to a fault, but when he's done he's done (now you know where I get it from). He told me that he used to have two buddies that came to see him and hang out. He said he realized they only came around as they were trying to stay on his good side so he would give them things. I said what are you talking about? He said well Bobby wanted my rifle and every time he came over he talked about it. I decided to test the theory so I finally gave him the gun. I've never seen him again. Then he said Danny (whom I never trusted and I was never sure why) only came around when he wanted me to do something for him or give him money. The last time he came I told him my daughter locked up my money box and took the key. I never saw him again. I felt so horrible. Papa's world has become more insular over the years as he lost his vision and hearing, plus mema was the social person that took him out. It made me glad that I have attended the monthly club dinners with him and now we are going out a little more.

Papa got good news today in that he can walk around the house with a cane. He still needs to use the walker for longer walks, but within the house he can start moving around. The main thing is to keep him going slow as he wants to pivot when he is not steady enough yet. You know that means I will have to listen a little harder during the night as he wanders. I believe Thursday will be the last visit at the ortho doctor as he is doing so well.

I spent most of the last few days catching up on the shows I DVR'd over the past few weeks. Yes, I watched a heck of a lot of the Hallmark Christmas movies (have to love a sappy/happy ending), but I also watched several cooking/baking shows, a special about Robin Williams life (I realized I would like to watch a few of the movies he made), the movie Paddington, and a few older movies. Have to love the DVR and the ability to skip commercials. Of course, that means I have not been reading...LOL!!!

I am going to end it here for tonight. Have a great rest of the week! Enjoy family time! Chat soon. Marie

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." Neil Gaiman

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Welcome to "Thoughts for a Sunday," the weekly blog of Marie Nagle of Beacon Coaching. Let's have a life changing conversation! Please share your thoughts and insights with me by submitting a comment. All comments are moderated and subject to approval. Subscribe to my blog to receive weekly posts via e-mail. Thank you! - Marie